吐鲁番市

Why this place

Turpan sits in a depression 154 metres below sea level, surrounded by desert, and it has recorded some of the highest temperatures in China — which is exactly why its irrigation system, the karez, is a wonder: 5,000km of underground channels bring snowmelt from the Tian Shan without losing it to evaporation.

What to see

• The karez irrigation system and the underground channel you can walk through
• The Jiaohe and Gaochang ancient cities — two ruined Silk Road cities in the desert
• The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, with their painted murals
• The Emin Minaret, a 44-metre Uyghur brick minaret
• The Grape Valley and the vineyards that make Turpan famous for its fruit
• The Flaming Mountains — the red sandstone ridge of the Journey to the West

What to eat

• Turpan grapes and raisins — the region dries them in ventilated drying houses
• Uyghur 'polo' (pilaf), lamb kebabs and the local melons
• Naan, baked in the clay ovens that are everywhere

How to plan

Two or three days: the ancient cities and caves one day, the karez and the minaret the next, the Flaming Mountains on the way out.

Best time

April–May and September–October; summer is brutally hot and winter is cold

Practical tips

• It is genuinely hot in summer — carry water and do the desert sites early or late in the day